a question for brad or anyone for that matter, would you be kind enough to tell me the model/part # of those shallco switches you used for the insert bypass/on you used in a mastering console I found in this forum you made yourself, also the best wire to use, were to buy this stuff. anything to help me out.

Im poor, can't afford to buy a real console so I must resort to the home made recipe E

a question for brad or anyone for that matter, would you be kind enough to tell me the model/part # of those shallco switches you used for the insert bypass/on you used in a mastering console I found in this forum you made yourself, also the best wire to use, were to buy this stuff. anything to help me out.

Im poor, can't afford to buy a real console so I must resort to the home made recipe E

Hi Eric, the switches can be ordered direct from Shallco by going here then clicking on 'Precision Rotary Switch Products'. I used Series D switches in my console.

As for wire, per DC's recommendation I went with teflon insulated wire - it's easier to work with as it's virtually impervious to the heat from a soldering iron. Wire gauge isn't very important here - I used 20 AWG which is overkill - so don't sweat it...

So, for your insert switches I see you're using 4 deck switches, and I'm assuming there's one pole per deck (tell me if I'm wrong).

In this setup, I'm thinking each insert switch switches between the insert before (out) or the return of it's own loop (in).

Ok fine.

But since you're just switching the returns of each loop, the sends remain active regardless. So, the DAC (or analog machine) that feeds the chain on the i/p is effectively feeding all 6 pieces of gear in the chain (if all inserts were in bypass - less as you switch gear into the chain).

Each insert point is switching the 'input' of the insert on and off - when the insert is switched out, the gear is not in the chain at all. When set to the 'on' position, the signal is sent out to the piece then returned and fed to the next device - if it is turned 'off', that insert basically doesn't exist to the chain...

I understand, but - if the switch is only switching the input (or return) of the loop, the output (or send) of the loop stays connected, so if all inserts were in "out", your source o/p is getting multed 6 times into 6 pieces of gear (although since the switches are set to "out", the output of each piece is disconnected.

To competely remove the piece of equipment, you'd have to switch at both the send and return of the loop.

I'm wondering if by not switching at both the send and return, and just switching at the return, if this presents loading issues to the source feeding the chain?

Obviously, if one can "get away" with not having to switch the send to the gear, then that simplifies switching. If we want to switch both the send and return, then we need 8 poles on the switch (as opposed to just 4 for doing the return only).

I've multed balanced signals in "non-critical" applications before and not even batted an eye... I just want to know if this would be a problem in this more mission critical mastering application...

No, you're missing what I intended to say, as I said it in a rather backwards way upon re-reading it.

The actual send is what is switched in and out - IOW, if I switch my STC-8M out of the chain, the STC-8 is no longer seeing any input signal at all. So when I switch things out of the chain, they are not present as a load at all...

Well, the basic idea is very simple actually. You have a row of rotary switches, let's say four of them. Thus you have four inserts. The output of switch one goes to input of switch two and so on.

Each rotary switch position (on every insert) means a specific piece of equipment on the rack. 1=EQ, 2=Compressor, 3=Masterbuss Autotune etc. Very simple to do in unbalanced chain with a, say, six-position 4-deck switch. two decks for send, two for return.

Then you just route your signal by turning the knobs. 2, 1, 3 - 4, 2, 6.. the only real problem is that basically, you can set the units in feedback if you choose the same compressor on inserts one and two, for example.

This part is still unsolved. A total answer to this would be to do the thing with relays + digital logic, but it gets too complicated for the purpose. For myself, I might just do it passively like described and add a "mute" button that cuts all the outputs (with a relay) while sequencing the gear. I press that while I turn the knobs. When you get that down to your spine, you'll be OK. You don't have to do that all the time anyway.